Sizzling Snapper SeasonLee Rayner | First Published: November 2009

This is without doubt the most exciting time of the year for a Victorian.

Recent past weeks have seen insane fishing for both boat and land-based anglers. However December sees a lot of anglers split their snapper fishing with other viable options with the warmer water in the bay.

Mordialloc To Black Rock

Land-based snapper reports continue to filter in from Mordialloc Pier with snapper ranging from 2-5kg along with one lucky angler landing a honker that dragged the scales to 6.6kg.

Large numbers of snapper have been taken by boaters anywhere from a 100m off the pier and all the way out to the middle of the bay.

However for the most part November saw most fish in water from 18-20m deep.

For December it is well worth working the shallower water in areas such as the Mordi Hump, Yellow Bouy and in at the Parkdale Pinnacles as the bigger snapper move into this area to feed.

Over the coming weeks it’s also time to start looking for the whiting that move into Beaumaris Bay and the shallow reef around it such as the Parkdale Pinnacles, Horse Paddock and just up inside Ricketts Point.

Beaumaris Pier has seen plenty of its own action of late with good numbers of squid of an evening along with more than the occasional snapper being taken at night and early in the morning.

Out from Ricketts Point, the snapper have flowed freely for most anglers with the deeper areas such as the Gasso producing plenty of fish.

In the deeper areas many anglers seem to think it’s a bait only area with lure fishing for snapper only being productive in the shallows. This isn’t the case, with abundant baitfish around the snapper are actively hunting and feeding on them and love nothing more than smashing a plastic, Vibe or Lucanus style jig.

The shallower reef edge running down to Black Rock has also has heaps of pinkies and big fish mixed together and has been a favourite with anglers fishing plastics.

Sandringham To Port Melbourne

The breakwall at Sandy has been producing snapper during the rough weather with some the best fishing to be had at the end of the wall and around the marina entrance with 1-4kg snapper landed.

The groynes in front of Hampton have also seen plenty of snapper, squid and garfish to be found by both land-based and boat anglers.

Out wider, the Anonyma shoal and just wide of it has produced some great snapper fishing, along with good garfish. For those who like to troll there have been some thumper snook around this reef.

Summer should see some top whiting action on the shallow reefs such as Yorkies, the Cerberus and on the Anonyma Shoal.

The big news however has been some out of control land-based snapper fishing on Brighton Breakwall. Fishing Fever staff member, Eren Gruven, was a witness to (and part of) 30 anglers landing over 100 snapper in one single session.

He said there were so many snapper anglers, they were taking it in turn to cast a bait in, hook-up, land the fish then step back to allow the next person to cast.

Out in the boats the action has been similar with some big snapper being taken in the shallow water at night from Brighton up to St Kilda, and while this is a bit of a patience game the results are there for any angler chasing big snapper.

Out wider the Fawkner Beacon and its surrounds has produced huge numbers of snapper during late October and November with most of the fish in the big schools ranging from 1.5-3.5kg.

Off St Kilda itself the fishing has been great with some big snapper on offer at night over the abundant cunjevoi beds in 4-8m water all the way along to Station Pier. Many of the fish have been in the 5-7kg bracket, with a few even bigger fish being taken.

Yarra and Maribrynong

Some good downpours over the past weeks have given the river a good flush and the bream fishing is really starting to fire.

Warmer water and the abundant bait moving into the Yarra and Maribrynong rivers has seen the fishing fire up for anglers fishing small diving hardbodied lures as the bream sit high up in the water column chewing on the barnacles and baitfish.

Mullet are returning to the rivers in good numbers and right behind them have been a few scattered reports of mulloway, which now seem to be found in various parts of the system on a year round basis.

Williamstown to Werribee

Tailor have still been around the power station at Newport along with bream and some salmon and mullet mixed in with them.

Now is the time around Williamstown harbour to get around its edges to chase some lovely flathead that move up on the banks to feed in the shallows.

The rocky shoreline that runs up towards Altona has also been producing whiting, plenty of pinkies and some garfish for land-based anglers and should continue during December.

Out on the boats there has been some red-hot snapper action at night from the shallow waters behind the footy oval to the stick out from Altona, with fish ranging from 2-5kg.

Out deeper, P2 and the Spoil Ground have had consistent snapper over the past weeks with some huge numbers of fish being caught for days on end.

Up towards Werribee, snapper have been just as good as other areas with fish being taken everywhere from shallow to deep water.

There have been some really big snapper between 5-9kg on offer through this area and up towards Point Cook and Indented head.

Most of the bigger fish are coming at night on big baits of squid, silver whiting and fresh salmon.

In close to shore whiting are starting to show in good numbers with some quality new run fish in the 38-44cm range making their presence felt.

The same areas that are producing the whiting also seem to have a continued endless supply of squid on offer for those who still want a feed of calamari.